Graduation Inspired Gift Selection

Here in Ireland, the period from mid-October to mid-November is one when hundreds of thousands of young people, most of them in their early 20s (me included!), go through a significant and often joyous rite of passage: College Graduation.

We put on strange clothes robes specially for the day – which mostly look like gowns straight out of Harry Potter – as we (with a mix of excitement and anxiety) look forward to the adult life that now beckons and awaits us.

Graduates usually receive cash, cards, and gift cards, for the most part. According to an eMarketer survey conducted in May 2017, cash is the gift that most internet users plan on giving to the graduate in their life. For those who are looking to give something more thoughtful and special than that, you’re in luck!

This post is brought to you by UncommonGoods.com! When Uncommongoods.com contacted me to compile a gift guide with my favourite finds from their website to help promote a couple of their collections, I jumped at the chance! They’re an online marketplace which connects makers and their creations with individuals looking for truly special and quirky goods. What really drew me to them was the fact that they truly attempt to minimise their environmental impact by working with artists and creators who use sustainable or recycled materials whenever possible, choosing environmentally friendlier packing materials, and printing their catalog on Forest Stewardship Council [FSC] certified and recycled paper. I feel like not enough companies value the importance of recycling and being kind to our planet, so I was really impressed to find out that uncommongoods.com is commitment not only to creative design but also to sustainability.

Being a recent college graduate myself, this is the graduation gift-guide I compiled, full of quirky and original gift ideas for any recent graduate, from the music lover, the bookworm or the tech-savy at uncommon goods.com there’s a gift for everyone:

Roadmap: The Get-it-Together Guide

“So let me get this straight, I have to pay rent, save money, look presentable, AND be doing something I love and find fulfilling?” – My thoughts exactly! A new college graduate’s first few steps into the real world can be a lot like a bow-legged baby deer trying to figure out the best loan consolidation tactics. Enter Roadmap, Roadtrip Nation’s official “get it together” guide. It’s filled with interviews from influential adults, and offers words of wisdom for us new graduates and includes inspiring thoughts like “build a life, not a resume”. Coming from a recent graduate trying to “get it together”, this is the perfect gift. You can find it here and the best part is it’s only €18.87!

Letters To My Future Self

With Love, From Me. Another one from the Graduation Gifts collection at uncommongoods.com, this correspondence-inspired time capsule lets you postmark your memories and read them years later. One of my favourite finds! A beautiful way to capture this moment in time!

Bluetooth® Tracking Tag

Novelty gifts are always a safe bet, no matter what the occasion is! This bluetooth® tracking tag is part of the Cool Gadgets Collection which you can find here , and would make a perfect gift for any young adult! This gadget is handy to keep easy-to-misplace items on your radar; it comes with a Bluetooth®-powered rosewood tag and companion app. It’s set at a good price-range too, at only €37.83!

Anti-Gravity Case for I-Phone 7/6S/6

There are eleventy kazillion uses for your iPhone, but none of them are helpful unless your device is in the right place at the right time. And these days it’s all about multi-tasking, especially for young people on the go! You can stick this nano-suction case right where you need your iPhone to be. Want to record your yoga practice to perfect your posture? Watch a cooking demonstration as you follow along? Catch the last few minutes of the game while you shave? Stick your phone on any smooth, non-porous surface, and you’re good to go. The best part? It’s just €28.37!

If you are still unsure as to what to get, personalised gifts are always a great way to let someone special know you’re thinking about them. Custom books, prints, embroidered pillows, jewelry, and more can be personalized with important dates, custom engravings, inscriptions, and intimate messages.I found two very cool gifts in the Personalised Gift Collection, which you can find here, along with a myriad of thoughtful and highly customisable gifts!

Personalized Amp Doormat

I know what you’re thinking: A doormat?! How is that a good gift? But think about it: young adults fresh out of college and ready to move out of dorm rooms and into their first apartments will undoubtedly be missing a lot of house-basic-necessities that they would never think of buying themselves during those first Ikea trips!And this is where this doormat comes in: Welcome guests to your home with the power chord appeal of this personalized amp doormat. Designed by graphic artist Jim Holodak, it’s personalized with the family name of your choice in place of an iconic, rock-solid brand name like Fender!

Vintage Vinyl Bluetooth Speaker

Made in Pennsylvania exclusively for UncommonGoods, this speaker makes a distinctive addition (that I really really love!) to any home audio or an unforgettable gift for any audiophile, the speaker is available in a variety of customizable options:

Request a Genre: Pick from a list of genres and Jeff will select an album from that category to incorporate into your speaker.

Create a Custom Label—Add Your Own Text: Customize a speaker with your own personalized record label. Pick from one of four different designs and add your own custom text.Create Your Own Album Artwork: Order a speaker with a record label featuring a special photo or artwork that you submit yourself.

Submit a Favorite Album: Customize a speaker with an album of your choice. Send in a favorite album from your collection!Request an Album: Customize a speaker with an album you request. Specify a favorite album or artist—they’ll source it for you and create the label from that!

Jeff Davis is the creator of this Bluetooth® speaker which puts a new spin on old LPs, letting reclaimed vinyl play music in an innovative way: as the speaker itself. You can’t drop the needle on these records, but they’ll play your entire digital music collection in analog-inspired style—a cool way to give our smartphones an audiophile upgrade.

I hope you enjoyed this gift-selection, let me know in the comments if you end up getting anything form this list!

About

Life on mars discusses the sick yet wonderful world of FASHION , the spells and magic that surrounds planet BEAUTY , the beauty and joy of FOOD , the fooling around commonly known by the cool kids as LIFESTYLE , in addition to my personal take on ART and MUSIC , being someone of a certain cultural level , I’ll include something about interiors a.k.a DECOR, so as to not forget the always important detergents full of nasty chemicals.

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About Life on Mars

Life on mars discusses the sick yet wonderful world of FASHION , the spells and magic that surrounds planet BEAUTY , the beauty and joy of FOOD , the fooling around commonly known by the cool kids as LIFESTYLE , in addition to my personal take on ART and MUSIC , being someone of a certain cultural level , I’ll include something about interiors a.k.a DECOR, so as to not forget the always important detergents full of nasty chemicals.

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